Article marketing is a common content marketing tactic, used mainly to support SEO and establish thought leadership. Nine times out of 10, or maybe 10 times out of 10, blogging tops article marketing for both purposes.
Yes, articles generate inbound links, but blogs generate more links and higher quality links.
In terms of thought leadership, blogs win again. Here’s why. On a blog, your writing is centralized. Visitors to your blog can get a sense of your entire body of work – as well as your personality. In contrast, articles are all over the place. Go to Ezine and look for your favorite author or try to find a true subject matter expert. How did it work out?
Article marketing campaigns, when conducted on large scale, frequently settle for mediocre content. Usually this happens for two reasons. First, high quality writing costs more. Second, companies make a strategic blunder by fixating on SEO rather than focusing on the true objective of content marketing – conversions.
Conversions don’t come easy. What’s the point of throwing up a lot of second rate content? If qualified prospects find it, they won’t be inspired to do business with your firm. Why not blog instead, where you get the best of both worlds, SEO and conversions? Blogging enables you to acquire more readers – and more regular readers. When regular readers turn into fans, they promote your brand, generate referrals, and become catalysts for inbound links from relevant sources. Regular readers also become customers … or better customers.
The attraction of article marketing is that it’s simple and inexpensive. Producing quality content and blogging takes expertise and effort. But as we all know, good results never come cheap. As part of a content marketing or SEO program, article marketing can serve a purpose. But it can never be the foundation. A blog can be and should be.
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This is excellent ammunition to help influence my clients to go ‘blog’ rather than ‘article’.
I’ve often thought of writing articles myself, but will now reconsider thanks to this timely input.
Thank you, Brad.
BTW this site is looking terrific. Well done!
Robin
Robin Dickinson’s last blog ..What makes a blockbuster blog post?
Hi Robin, Glad the post came at the right time for you. Article marketing has its place, I suppose, but blogging is so much more powerful on so many levels. Thanks for the feedback on the site design. It’s going to be changing a little more in the near future.
Brad Shorr’s last blog ..Blogs Top Article Marketing for SEO and Conversions
I suppose if you go either/or, then yes, a blog wins hands down. However, for boosting your SEO and Alexa rating, two articles on Ezine Articles can make an enormous difference overnight, which helps your great blog content get noticed.
Tammi Kibler’s last blog ..Writing Career Goals – Plot Your Destination
Hi Tammi, Good point! Articles (and press releases) can create instant search visibility, but I’m not sure how powerful the links from article banks are these days. Thanks for visiting Word Sell and commenting.
Good points, Brad. While article sites can serve a useful SEO purpose (mainly through traffic generated via search engines, which can in turn generate traffic to a company’s website), this provides limited value and certainly shouldn’t comprise the foundation of the company’s marketing strategy.
Unfortunately, it is true that quality often suffers on free article sites, which can sometimes subject an author to guilt by association – even when s/he provides top-notch work. The main point here, though, is that companies that choose to use these sites make sure not to be lax in the area of quality – even if the main reason for using them is SEO – because many readers will be evaluating their content in light of the kind of work they usually see on these sites. If their work is the cream of the crop, it will certainly rise to the top.
That said, I do agree that blogs should be the real focus of a company’s efforts, whether or not it also uses article sites. A blog can be a great home base – even more so than a website can – because it’s so much more interactive and immediate.
Jeanne, You won’t get any arguments from me! Why appeal in a mediocre way to search engines alone with articles, when you can appeal strongly to search engines and actual people with a blog? It seems like such a no-brainer to me.
Brad Shorr’s last blog ..Blogs Top Article Marketing for SEO and Conversions
Blogs really do have so many advantages over article sites, but I think many companies – probably much more so than individual entrepreneurs – fear the medium because, for them, its unexplored territory. It’s simply the age-old fear of the unknown affecting a company’s entire marketing strategy.
I agree Brad, blogging is the best way to market your website and does help to generate more and better quality links. The web has allowed us to start communicating on a global level, and blogging is a ideal way that companies can utilise this type of interaction with their customers and readers. Jeanne is right, many companies may be afraid of stepping into unknown territory. Once they take that step forward, they can start to realise that blogging is an advantage, and will help generate more traffic to their website then article marketing.
Mandeep Khunkhuna’s last blog ..Top 5 Dreamweaver Shortcuts
Mandeep, Yes, at some point a company has to just jump in and start trying new forms of marketing and communication. It’s wise to start with a plan, though. Still, experimenting even without a plan is better than sitting on the sidelines.
Brad, good points and analysis of article marketing. I believe that article sites can have some value but the perception and quality have suffered from those pushing out mediocre content to gain links. I would rather spend time on blogging, press releases and contributed articles. I do think it’s important to have a multi-prong approach for your content and whatever channels you choose offer your best.
Karen Swim’s last blog ..Age of Conversation 3 – Available Now
Hi Brad – Hope you are well. I used to do a bit of article marketing but it was so time consuming and the results didn’t always seem that great.
It was so tempting to bang out a heap of second rate articles, which doesn’t do a lot for your reputation. And a good article seemed like such a waste on somewhere like Ezine articles, when I could have published it on one of my own blogs or websites.
Cath Lawson’s last blog ..I’m Back But I Forgot An Important Lesson
Karen, Like you, I’ve had much more success with press releases and blogging than articles. But you’re right – it takes a mixture.
Cath, Things are great here – how have you been? Your comment brings up a good (and somewhat ironic) point. What you’re saying is, articles are OK – as long as nobody reads them. My thoughts exactly.